Method and means for mounting a wind turbine on a tower

ABSTRACT

The apparatus of this invention is utilized for mounting a wind turbine on the upper end of a wind turbine tower. The invention also relates to the method of erecting the same. The tower is provided with a pair of guide rails positioned on opposite sides thereof which extend from the lower end to the upper end of the tower. A sled is movably mounted on the guide rails and has a platform mounted thereon which is adapted to support the wind turbine thereon. In one form of the invention, the sled is self-contained in that it has an engine and a winch mounted thereon. In another form of the invention, the winch and engine are mounted on a self-propelled vehicle which is designed to transport the sled from one tower location to another. In another form of the invention, the winch is detachable from the self-propelled vehicle so that the winch may be anchored to the ground. When the wind turbine has been positioned at the upper end of the tower, a horizontally slidable platform moves the wind turbine from the sled to the upper end of the tower so that the wind turbine may be secured to the upper end of the tower.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] This invention relates to a method and means for mounting a windturbine on the upper end of a supporting tower and more particularly toa method and means wherein the wind turbine is winched up the length ofthe tower on a carriage or sled which rolls along a pair of guide railspositioned on opposite sides of the tower.

[0003] 2. DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART

[0004] Wind turbines are becoming more popular in the production ofelectrical energy. The wind turbine assembly normally comprises arotor-driven generator or turbine mounted atop a tower which may reachheights of 70 meters or more. The tower is normally first erected andthe wind turbine is then mounted on the upper end of the tower by meansof an extremely large crane. The customary method of mounting the windturbine on the upper end of the tower is quite expensive in that theextremely large crane used for positioning the wind turbine on the upperend of the tower is very expensive and it is costly to have such a craneon site during the erection procedure. Thus, it is advantageous to beable to mount the wind turbine on the upper end of the tower without theuse of the extremely large crane. In the co-pending application Ser. No.09/563,612 filed May 2, 2000, a novel method and means is described formounting a wind turbine on the upper end of a tower. Although the methodand means described in the above-identified application represents asignificant advance in the art, the instant invention is believed to bea further advance in the art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] A method and means for mounting a wind turbine on a verticallydisposed tower is disclosed wherein the tower has upper and lower endswith the tower having a pair of guide rails positioned on opposite sidesof the tower which extend between the upper and lower ends thereof. Aturbine support, carriage or sled is provided which is adapted to havethe wind turbine mounted thereon. The sled is initially removablysupported on a self-propelled vehicle which has a winch mounted thereonwhich is preferably driven by the engine of the vehicle. The vehicle isinitially positioned with respect to the tower so that the sled may betransferred from the vehicle to the lower end of the guide rails. In oneembodiment of the invention, the vehicle is anchored to the ground or toa suitable foundation. The winch cable of the winch is then connected toa block and tackle assembly which is secured to the upper end of thetower and to the sled. The winch is then operated so that the sled ismoved upwardly on the pair of guide rails. When the sled has been raisedto a predetermined height with respect to the ground, a small cranepositions the wind turbine on the sled at which time the rotor bladesmay be mounted on the wind turbine if the rotor blades have not beenpreviously mounted thereon. The winch is then operated to raise the sledto the upper end of the tower. When the sled reaches the upper end ofthe tower, the wind turbine is slidably moved horizontally onto theupper end of the tower at which time the wind turbine is detached fromthe sled and is securely fastened to the upper end of the tower. Thesled is then moved to the lower end of the tower and is removed from theguide rails and repositioned on the vehicle so that the sled may be usedfor the erection of other wind turbine assemblies. Prior to moving thevehicle to the next tower, the anchoring means is disconnected. In analternate form of the invention, after the vehicle has maneuvered thesled into position to enable the sled to be transferred from the sled tothe guide rails on the tower, the winch is disconnected from the sledand is anchored to the ground or to a suitable foundation. In yetanother embodiment of the invention, the sled has an engine and a winchmounted thereon for movement therewith.

[0006] It is therefore a principal object of the invention to provide animproved method of erecting a wind turbine assembly.

[0007] A further object of the invention is to provide a method ofpositioning a wind turbine on the upper end of a wind turbine towerwherein the need of an extremely large crane is eliminated.

[0008] Still another object of the invention is to provide a windturbine assembly wherein the wind turbine tower has a pair of guiderails positioned on opposite sides thereof to enable a sled to bevertically moved upwardly thereon with the sled supporting the windturbine.

[0009] Still another object of the invention is to provide an improvedmethod and means for mounting a wind turbine on a wind turbine towerwhich is less dangerous than the prior art methods of erecting the same.

[0010] Still another object of the invention is to provide a method andmeans for erecting a wind turbine assembly wherein a self-propelledvehicle is utilized which transports a sled from one tower location toanother with the vehicle having a power means and a winch mountedthereon.

[0011] Still another object of the invention is to provide a sled of thetype described above wherein the power means and winch remain on thesled as the sled is moved between the upper and lower ends of the tower.

[0012] Still another object of the invention is to provide a uniquevehicle for transporting the wind turbine support sled from one towerlocation to another.

[0013] These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in theart.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014]FIG. 1 is a side view of the wind turbine assembly of thisinvention;

[0015]FIG. 2 is a side view of the wind turbine assembly of FIG. 1 asseen from the right of FIG. 1;

[0016]FIG. 3A is a side view of the tower and illustrating the windturbine support carriage or sled supporting the wind turbine beingsupported on a trailer at the lower end of the tower;

[0017]FIG. 3B is a somewhat enlarged partial view of FIG. 3A;

[0018]FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3B except that the sled is beingmoved from the trailer to the guide rail;

[0019]FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 except that the sled has beencompletely removed from the trailer and has been mounted on the sled;

[0020]FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 except that the platform of thesled is being pivoted to a horizontal position;

[0021]FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6 except that the platform of thesled has been pivoted to a horizontal position and the wind turbine isbeing lowered towards the platform;

[0022]FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 7 except that it illustrates theturbine positioned on the platform of the sled;

[0023]FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIG. 8 except that it illustrates thesled platform and the turbine being moved to a vertically disposedposition;

[0024]FIG. 10 is a view similar to FIG. 9 except that the sled platformand wind turbine have been moved to a vertically disposed position;

[0025]FIG. 11 is a view similar to FIG. 10 but which illustrates thespinner/hub and rotors being lowered towards the wind turbine;

[0026]FIG. 12 is a view similar to FIG. 11 except that the spinner/huband rotor blades have been mounted on the wind turbine;

[0027]FIG. 13 is a view scene on lines 13-13 of FIG. 12;

[0028]FIG. 14 is a side view illustrating the sled and wind turbinehaving been moved to the upper end of the tower;

[0029]FIG. 15 is a view similar to FIG. 14 except that the sled platformis being pivoted from its vertically disposed position to its horizontalposition;

[0030]FIG. 16 is a view similar to FIG. 15 except that the sled platformand turbine have been moved to a horizontally disposed position;

[0031]FIG. 17 is a view similar to FIG. 16 except that the turbine isillustrated as having been slidably moved from the sled platform to theupper end of the tower;

[0032]FIG. 18 is a view similar to FIG. 17 except that the sled platformis illustrated as being pivotally moved towards a vertically disposedposition;

[0033]FIG. 19 is a view similar to FIG. 18 except that the sled isillustrated as being lowered towards the ground;

[0034]FIG. 20 is a view similar to FIG. 19 except that the sled is beingillustrated as being moved onto the trailer;

[0035]FIG. 21 is a partial side view illustrating the connection of thewinch means with the sled while the sled is mounted on a trailer;

[0036]FIG. 22 is a sectional view illustrating the relationship of thetower, guide rail means and sled;

[0037]FIG. 23 is a partial side view illustrating the sled platform in avertically disposed position;

[0038]FIG. 24 is a partial side view illustrating the sled platformhaving been moved to the upper end of the tower with the broken linesillustrating the movement of a portion of the sled platform towards theupper end of the tower;

[0039]FIG. 25 is a side elevational view of a modified form of the sled;

[0040]FIG. 26A is a side elevational view as seen along lines 26A ofFIG. 25;

[0041]FIG. 26B is a top view of the structure shown in FIG. 26A with thewind turbine tower being partially shown;

[0042]FIG. 26C is a view similar to FIG. 26B except that the railclamping jaws are illustrated as being in the open position;

[0043]FIG. 27A is a side elevational view as seen along lines 27A ofFIG. 25;

[0044]FIG. 27B is a top view of the structure shown in FIG. 27A;

[0045]FIG. 27C is a view similar to FIG. 27B but which illustrates therail clamping mechanism in an operative position;

[0046]FIG. 28A is a side elevational view seen on lines 28A of FIG. 25;

[0047]FIG. 29A is a side elevational view as seen along lines 29A ofFIG. 25;

[0048]FIG. 29B is a partial top view of the structure of FIG. 29A;

[0049]FIG. 29B is a view as seen along lines 29A of FIG. 25;

[0050]FIG. 30 is a partial side view illustrating the sled of FIG. 25 inits lowermost position with respect to the tower;

[0051]FIG. 31 is a view similar to FIG. 30 except that the sled has beenpartially raised on the tower;

[0052]FIG. 32 is a view similar to FIG. 31 except that the sled has beenraised to the upper end of the tower;

[0053]FIG. 33 is a top view of the sled of FIG. 32;

[0054]FIG. 34 is a view similar to FIG. 33 except that the turbineplatform of the sled has been moved to a position over tower;

[0055]FIG. 35 is a side elevational view of a modified form of the sledof FIG. 31 wherein the winch and power means are not mounted on thesled;

[0056]FIG. 36 is a side elevational view of a self-propelled vehiclewhich is used to transport the sled from one tower location to another;

[0057]FIG. 37 is a view which illustrates the vehicle of FIG. 36 beingpositioned adjacent the tower with the sled having been raised upwardlyon the tower; and

[0058]FIG. 38 is a front perspective view of the vehicle of FIGS. 36 and37.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0059] In one embodiment of the invention (FIGS. 1-24), the wind turbineassembly of this invention is referred to generally by the referencenumeral 10 and includes a tower 12 which may have a height of up toseventy meters or more. A support structure 14 in the form of a batteredleg structure 14A and 14B is provided at one side of the tower 12 forstability purposes. Legs 14A and 14B are connected to the tower 12 bybraces 15. The numeral 16 refers to a conventional wind turbineincluding a housing 18 which houses various components of the windturbine 16 such as a cooling system, generator, gearbox, and a mainshaft extending therefrom onto which a spinner/hub 20 is mountedincluding rotor blades 22. The wind turbine 16 includes a conventionalbase portion 24 which is secured to the upper end of the tower 12. Tothis point, the wind turbine assembly 10 is generally of conventionalprior art construction except for the battered leg structure whichstabilizes the tower 12, distributes the load on the tower 12, andenables the tower 12 to be constructed of a lighter weight material.

[0060] The tower 12 is provided with a guide rail means 26 which in thiscase comprises a pair of vertically disposed and horizontally spacedguide rails 28 and 30 positioned at one side of the tower 12 with theguide rails 28 and 30 extending between the lower and upper ends of thetower 12. Although it is preferred that a pair of guide rails 28 and 30be provided, it is possible that any number of guide rails could beprovided, if desired. Further, the guide rails 28 and 30 could bepositioned on the opposite sides of the tower 12 and could take shapesother than that disclosed. For example, guide rails could be T-shaped ifdesired.

[0061] The numeral 32 refers generally to a wind turbine support,carriage or sled which is adapted to move along the guide rails 28 and30 and which includes a platform 52 adapted to have the wind turbine 16secured thereto and which includes means for pivoting the platform 52approximately ninety degrees with respect to the sled, as will bedescribed in more detail hereinafter. In this embodiment, the sled 32 isremovably positioned on a wheeled frame such as a truck or trailer 36having a pair of spaced-apart guide rails 38 provided thereon which areadapted to mate with or register with the lower ends of the guide rails28 and 30 so that the sled 32 may be moved from its position on thewheeled frame means 36 onto the guide rails 28 and 30.

[0062] Sled 32 includes a pair of projecting frame members 40 and 42having recessed portions 44 and 46 formed therein, respectively, whichare adapted to receive the guide rails 28 and 30 and which are alsoadapted to receive the guide rails 38 when the sled 32 is mounted on thewheeled frame means 36. It is preferred that the recessed areas 44 and46 be provided with a plurality of slides or rollers 48 provided thereonto facilitate the sliding movement of the sled 32 with respect to theguide rails 28 and 30. Generally speaking, sled 32 includes a framemeans 50 having the platform 52 pivotally secured thereto and which ismovable therewith by means of power cylinder 54 or some other mechanism.It is preferred that a slide mechanism 56 be slidably mounted onplatform 52 to enable the slide mechanism 56 to be moved from theposition illustrated in FIG. 24 to a position towards tower 12 to enablethe turbine 16 to be moved from the carriage to the upper end of thetower 12 as will be more fully described hereinafter. Slide 56 includesmeans for having the wind turbine 16 selectively secured thereto.

[0063] In this embodiment, the numeral 58 refers to a winch which ispositioned at the lower end of the tower 12 and which has a winch cable60 extending therefrom. Winch cable 60 preferably extends around pulley62 and thence upwardly to the upper end of the tower 12 wherein itextends over pulleys 64 and 66. Winch cable 60 then extends downwardly,as seen in FIG. 21, for connection to the sled 32.

[0064] The tower 12 is first erected in conventional fashion, except forthe structure 14, with the guide rails 28 and 30 being provided thereonas previously described. When it is desired to mount the turbine 16 onthe upper end of the tower 12, utilizing the embodiment described above,the wheeled frame means 36 is positioned adjacent the lower end of thetower 12 so that the guide rails 38 mate with the lower ends of theguide rails 28 and 30. The winch cable 60 is then connected to the sled32 and the winch 58 is actuated so that the cable 60 pulls the sled 32from the wheeled frame means 36 onto the lower ends of the guide rails28 and 30, as illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5. When the sled 32 has beenpositioned on the lower end of the guide rails 28 and 30, as illustratedin FIG. 5, the platform 52 is pivotally moved from the verticallydisposed position of FIG. 5 to the position of FIG. 6 and then to theposition of FIG. 7. At that time, the wheeled frame means 36 may bemoved away from the lower end of the tower 12. When the platform 52 isin the position of FIG. 5, a small crane is then used to lower the windturbine 16 onto the slide 56 to which it is securely fastened, asillustrated in FIG. 8. The platform 52 is then pivotally moved from theposition of FIG. 8 to the position of FIG. 9 and then to the position ofFIG. 10 wherein the wind turbine 16 is substantially verticallydisposed. When the wind turbine 16 is in the position of FIGS. 10 and11, the spinner/hub 20 with the rotor blades 22 attached thereto islowered onto the main shaft of the wind turbine 16 by means of a smallcrane or the like. It should be noted that the rotor blades 22 may besecured to the spinner/hub 20 after the spinner/hub 20 has been mountedon the wind turbine 16. FIG. 12 illustrates the spinner/hub 20 and therotor blades 22 mounted on the wind turbine 16. FIG. 13 is a top viewillustrating the wind turbine 16 in the position of FIG. 12.

[0065] When the spinner/hub 20 and rotor blades 22 have been mounted onthe wind turbine 16, the sled 32 with the wind turbine 16 mountedthereon is winched to the upper end of the tower 12 by means of thewinch 58. When the sled 32 has been winched to the position of FIG. 14,the platform 52 is pivotally moved from its vertically disposed positionto the position of FIG. 15 and then to the position of FIG. 16. Theslide 56 is then moved towards the upper end of the tower 24, asindicated by the dashed arrow in FIG. 24, so that the wind turbine 16may be removed from the slide 56 and secured to the upper end of thetower 24. When the turbine 16 has been secured to the upper end of thetower 12, as illustrated in FIG. 18, the platform 52 is pivotally movedfrom its horizontally disposed position to the position of FIG. 18 andthen to a vertically disposed position. The sled 32 is then lowered onthe guide rails 28 and 30 to the lower end of the tower. The wheeledframe means 36 is then positioned adjacent the lower end of the tower sothat the guide rails 38 thereof register once again with the guide rails28 and 30. The sled 32 is then moved from the guide rails 28 and 30 ontothe guide rails 38 of the wheeled frame means 36 so that the sled 32 ispositioned on the wheeled frame means 36. The wheeled frame means 36 andthe sled 32 may then be moved to another location wherein another windturbine assembly 10 is to be erected.

[0066] The turbine 16 may be installed or mounted on the upper end ofthe tower in a somewhat different way such as will now be described. Asin the previously described method, when it is desired to mount theturbine 16 on the upper end of the tower 12, the wheeled frame means 36is positioned adjacent the lower end of the tower 12 so that the guiderails 38 mate with the lower ends of the guide rails 28 and 30. Thewinch cable 60 is then connected to the sled 32 and the winch 58 isactuated so that the cable 60 pulls the sled 32 from the wheeled framemeans 36 onto the lower ends of the guide rails 28 and 30. When the sled32 has been positioned on the lower end of the guide rails 28 and 30,the platform 52 is pivotally moved from the vertically disposed positionof FIG. 5 to the position of FIG. 6 and then to the position of FIG. 7.At that time, the wheeled frame means 36 may be moved away from thelower end of the tower 12. When the platform 52 is in the position ofFIG. 5, the sled 32 is then winched upwardly along the guide rails 28and 30 until the carriage has reached a height which is greater than therotor-swept area. The wind turbine 16 is then positioned on the platform52 of the sled 32 by means of a small crane with the wind turbine 16being horizontally disposed and with the main shaft thereof extendinglaterally from one side of the tower. The spinner/hub 20 with the rotorblades 22 attached thereto are then secured to the main shaft of thewind turbine 16 with the rotor blades being vertically disposed.

[0067] When the spinner/hub 20 and the rotor blades 22 have been mountedon the wind turbine 16, the sled 32 with the wind turbine 16 mountedthereon is winched to the upper end of the tower 12 by means of thewinch 58. When the sled 32 has been winched to the upper end of thetower, the slide 56 is then moved towards the upper end of the tower 24so that the wind turbine 16 may be removed from the slide 56 and securedto the upper end of the tower 24. When the turbine 16 has been securedto the upper end of the tower 12, the sled 32 is then lowered on theguide rails 28 and 30 to the lower end of the tower, as in thepreviously described method.

[0068] The advantage of the alternate method is that the wind turbine isalways in a horizontally disposed position. In some cases, if the windturbine was vertically disposed and components of the turbine have beenpreviously filled with lubricating fluids, cooling fluids, etc., someleakage could possibly occur. By maintaining the wind turbine in thehorizontally disposed condition, leakage problems are eliminated.

[0069] Although in this embodiment the preferred method of moving thewind turbine to the upper end of the tower is with a winch, it ispossible that other means could be utilized. For example, some form ofratcheting mechanism could be utilized. A rack and pinion geararrangement which is motor-driven could also be used.

[0070] Thus it can be seen that in this embodiment a novel apparatus hasbeen provided for mounting a wind turbine on the upper end of a windturbine tower involving the use of a sled which is movably mounted onguide rails provided on the tower and wherein the need for an extremelylarge crane is eliminated. The relationship of the sled 32 with respectto the guide rails 28 and 30 ensures that undesirable horizontalmovement between the sled 32 and the guide rails 28 and 30 will beprevented while permitting the desirable vertical movement of the sled32 on the guide rails 28 and 30.

[0071] In FIGS. 25-34, the numeral 100 refers to a modified form of thewind turbine support, carriage or sled which is used to move the windturbine from the lower end of the wind turbine tower 102 to the upperend thereof. Tower 102 has a pair of guide rails 104 and 106 positionedon opposite sides thereof which extend between the upper and lower endsthereof. Sled 100 includes a generally U-shaped framework 108 which hasan upper end 110 and a lower end 112. The U-shaped framework 108 isadapted to be positioned with respect to the tower 102, as illustratedin FIGS. 25-30. For purposes of description, framework 108 will bedescribed as comprising a base portion 114 having side portions 116 and118 extending therefrom, as best seen in FIG. 33. Side 116 is providedwith a rail clamping apparatus 120 which is positioned on the inner sidethereof while side portion 118 is provided with rail clamping apparatus122 at the inner side thereof. Rail clamping apparatus 120 includes anupper section 120A and a lower section 120B. Similarly, rail clampingapparatus 122 includes an upper section 122A and a lower section 122B.The rail clamping apparatuses 120 and 122 are identical to one anotherexcept that they are positioned on opposite sides of the tower 102 forengagement with the guide rails 104 and 106, respectively. Inasmuch asrail clamping apparatuses 120 and 122 are identical, only portionsthereof will be described in detail.

[0072] Upper section 120A of rail clamping apparatus 120 includes rollerassemblies 124 and 126 which are fixed in place with respect to the sideportion 116 and which engage the guide rail 104, as seen in FIG. 26B.Upper section 120A of rail clamping apparatus 120 also includes apivotal roller assembly 128 which may be selectively pivoted from theposition of FIG. 26C to the position of FIG. 26B so that the guide rail104 is clamped between the roller assemblies 124, 126 and 128, as seenin FIG. 26B. Upper section 120A of rail clamping apparatus 120 alsoincludes a roller assembly 130 which is selectively pivotally movablebetween the positions of FIGS. 27C and 27B to enable the roller assemblyto abut one side of the guide rail 104, as seen in FIGS. 27B and 27C.The lower section 120B is identical to the upper section 120A exceptthat the three-sided clamping mechanism, such as seen in FIG. 26B, islocated below the one-sided roller assembly illustrated in FIG. 27B.Although the rail clamping apparatus as disclosed in the drawings is thepreferred embodiment, other types of rail clamping devices may beutilized as long as the sled is restrained against lateral or horizontalmovement with respect to the tower.

[0073] The sled 100 of FIG. 25 includes a winch 132 mounted thereonhaving a cable 134 extending therefrom which is associated with a blockand tackle assembly 136. The lower end of the block and tackle assembly136 is anchored to the framework 108 adjacent the lower end thereof, asseen in FIG. 25. The upper end of the block and tackle assembly 136 isdetachably connected to the tower 102 at 138. A power means 140, such asinternal combustion engine, is mounted on the framework 108, asillustrated in FIG. 25. Power means 140 is operatively connected to thewinch 132 in conventional fashion by means of hydraulic hoses or thelike so that the winch may be operated to raise and lower the sled 100with respect to the tower 102. The sled 100 preferably also includes abraking means for engagement with the guide rails 104 and 106 should thesled experience a power failure, winch failure or block and tacklefailure.

[0074] The numeral 142 refers to a horizontally movable platform whichis mounted on the upper end of the sled 100, as illustrated in FIGS. 25,and 30-34. The platform 142 is moved from the position of FIG. 33 to theposition of FIG. 34, and vice versa, by means of hydraulic cylinders 144and 146. Platform 142 is adapted to have the wind turbine mountedthereon and is designed to move the wind turbine from the sled 100 ontothe upper end of the tower 102.

[0075] In the embodiment of the sled illustrated in FIGS. 25, 30, 31 and32, the sled is self-contained in that it has the winch and the powermeans mounted thereon. Accordingly, when it is desired to install a windturbine on the top of a tower, the sled 100 is transported to the towerby means of a truck or trailer. As will be explained hereinafter, in theembodiment of the sled wherein the winch and power means is not mountedthereon, the sled 100 can be transported to the tower by means of aself-propelled vehicle 150, as will be described hereinafter. The sled100 with the associated winch and power means could also be transportedon the self-propelled vehicle if so desired. When the sled 100 has beentransported to the tower, the sled is positioned as illustrated in FIG.30 so that the sled 100 is positioned with respect to the tower, asillustrated in FIGS. 25, 30 and 33. The clamping apparatuses 120 and 122are then positioned with respect to the guide rails 104 and 106, aspreviously described. The upper end of the block and tackle assembly 136is then connected to the upper end of the tower 102 at 138, asillustrated in FIG. 30. The power means 140 is then energized and thewinch 132 is operated so that the sled 100 is raised with respect to thetower 102. When the sled 100 has been raised to a predeterminedposition, a small crane is used to lift the wind turbine onto theplatform 142 with the wind turbine being secured to the platform 142. Ifthe rotor blades of the wind turbine have not been mounted on the windturbine prior to the wind turbine being positioned on the platform 142,the rotor blades would be secured to the wind turbine at this time. Itshould be noted that the wind turbine is mounted on the platform 142 ina horizontally disposed position with the rotor blades being verticallydisposed. When the wind turbine has been mounted on the platform 142,the winch 132 is operated to raise the sled 100 to the upper end of thetower 102, as seen in FIG. 32. When the sled 100 has been raised to theupper end of the tower 102, the platform 142 will be in the positionillustrated in FIG. 33. The hydraulic cylinders 144 and 146 are thenextended to move the platform 142 over the top of the tower 102. Thewind turbine is then positioned on the turbine support structure at theupper end of the tower 102 and which is referred to by the referencenumeral 148. After the wind turbine has been secured to the mountingstructure 148, the platform 142 is moved from the position of FIG. 32 tothe position of FIG. 34. The winch 132 is then operated to lower thesled 100 to the ground at which time the block and tackle assembly 136may be disconnected from the upper end of the tower 102. The clampingapparatuses, which prevent lateral or horizontal movement of the sled100 during the raising and lowering of the sled, are then released sothat the sled 100 can be removed from the tower. The sled 100 may thenbe loaded onto a truck, trailer or the self-propelled vehicle 150 to bedescribed hereinafter. The sled 100 may then be transported to anothertower for use thereon.

[0076] The self-propelled and steerable vehicle 150 referred tohereinabove is illustrated in FIGS. 36-38 and is partially illustratedin FIG. 35. Vehicle 150 includes a wheeled frame 152 having a powermeans 154 mounted thereon which not only drives the drive wheels of thevehicle 150 but which also operates the winch 156 which is mounted onthe vehicle 150. The vehicle 150 is ideally suited for that embodimentof the sled generally referred to by the reference numeral 100A which isidentical to sled 100 except that the power means and the winch are notmounted on the sled but are mounted on the vehicle 150.

[0077] The frame means 152 of vehicle 150 includes a pair of side framemembers 156 and 158 which are supported by wheels 160 and 162,respectively, to define a space 164 therebetween. The frame members 156and 158 include lower end portions 166 and 168 which are adapted to havethe lower end of the sled 100A positioned thereon. Lower end portions166 and 168 of frame members 156 and 158, respectively, include inwardlyextending guide supports 170 and 172, respectively, which not onlysupport the lower end of the sled 100A, but which also guide the vehicle150 into position with respect to the tower 102.

[0078] When it is desired to mount a wind turbine on a tower, the sled100 is loaded onto the vehicle 150 and is pinned thereto at 174 and 176.The vehicle 150 is then driven to the tower with the vehicle 150 beingmaneuvered so that the tower is received between the frame members 156and 158. The guide supports 170 and 172 aid in properly positioning thevehicle 150 with respect to the tower 102. When the vehicle 150 has beenproperly positioned, the clamping apparatuses of the sled 100A areclamped onto the guide rails 104 and 106 in the same manner aspreviously described. At that time, the pins 174 and 176 will bereleased. The winch cable of the winch 156 will then be connected to theblock and tackle assembly 136 with the upper end of the block and tackle136 being secured to the upper end of the tower 102 in the same manneras previously described. Due to the weight of the sled and the turbineto be placed thereon, it is necessary that the vehicle 150 be anchoredto the ground by any suitable means such as by anchor bolts, anchorstraps, etc. The power means 154 is then operated to power the winch 156which will raise and lower the sled 100A with respect to the tower 102as previously described. The use of the self-propelled vehicle 150eliminates the need for a large truck or trailer and provides a moreconvenient means of properly positioning the sled 1 00A with respect tothe tower 102.

[0079] When the wind turbine has been mounted on the upper end of thetower 102, the sled 100A is lowered onto the vehicle 150 with the blockand tackle assembly 136 then being disconnected from the tower. Theclamping apparatuses which clamp the sled 100A to the tower 102 are alsoopened or released to enable the sled 100A to be moved away from thetower 102. Prior to movement of the vehicle 150, the sled 100A is againpinned to the vehicle 150 at 174 and 176.

[0080] If it is difficult to anchor the vehicle 150 to the ground, asolution to the problem is to disconnect the winch 156 from the vehicle150 and anchor the winch 150 to the ground or a concrete footing bymeans of anchor bolts, anchor screws, etc. FIG. 35 illustrates the winch156 having been disconnected from the vehicle 150 to eliminate the needof anchoring the entire vehicle to the ground or a suitable concretefooting or foundation. The power means 154 of the vehicle 150 will stillbe utilized to operate the winch 156, even though the winch 156 has beendisconnected from the vehicle 150.

[0081] Thus it can be seen that a novel sled has been provided which isself-contained, that is, having its own power source and winch mountedthereon. It can also be seen that a novel self-propelled vehicle hasbeen provided for transporting the sled from one location to another.

[0082] Thus it can be seen that the invention accomplishes at least allof its stated objectives.

We claim:
 1. In combination: a vertically disposed wind turbine towerhaving upper and lower ends; a guide rail means on said tower extendingbetween the upper and lower ends thereof; a wind turbine supportselectively removably mounted on said guide rail means for supporting awind turbine thereon; said wind turbine support being movable on saidguide rail means to the upper end of said tower; a winch means mountedon said wind turbine support; said winch means including a winch cablewhich is operatively secured to said tower for vertically moving saidwind turbine support with respect to said tower; and a drive meansmounted on said wind turbine support for driving said winch means.
 2. Incombination: a vertically disposed wind turbine tower having upper andlower ends; a guide rail means on said tower extending between the upperand lower ends thereof; a wind turbine support selectively removablymounted on said guide rail means for supporting a wind turbine thereon;said wind turbine support movable on said guide rail means to the upperend of said tower; a winch means selectively removably anchored to theground at the lower end of said tower; said winch means including awinch cable which is operatively secured to said tower and said windturbine support for vertically moving said wind turbine support withrespect to said tower; and a power means for operating said winch means.3. The combination of claim 2 wherein the said winch means and saidpower means are mounted on a self-propelled vehicle.
 4. The combinationof claim 3 wherein said winch means is selectively removably mounted onsaid vehicle so that said winch means may be anchored to the ground atthe lower end of said tower.
 5. The combination of claim 3 wherein saidvehicle includes means for selectively removably supporting said windturbine support thereon to enable the vehicle to transport the said windturbine support from one wind turbine tower to another and tooperatively position said wind turbine support with respect to the windturbine tower.
 6. The combination of claim 5 wherein said winch means isselectively removably mounted on said vehicle so that said winch meansmay be anchored to the ground at the lower end of said tower.
 7. Aself-propelled vehicle for transporting a wind turbine sled from onewind turbine tower location to another, comprising: a frame means havingrearward and forward ends, and opposite sides; said frame meansincluding a first frame at one side thereof and a second frame at theother side thereof; a first steerable drive wheel assembly mounted onsaid first frame; a second steerable drive wheel assembly mounted onsaid second frame; a winch means mounted on said frame means; and apower means mounted on said frame means for driving said first andsecond drive wheel assemblies and for powering said winch means; saidforward ends of said first and second frames being horizontallyspaced-apart to define an opening therebetween so that said forward endsof said first and second frames may be positioned on opposite sides ofthe wind turbine tower; said first and second frames having wind turbinesled receiving means thereon.
 8. The vehicle of claim 7 wherein saidwinch means is selectively removably positioned on said frame means. 9.The vehicle of claim 7 wherein a support guide extends between saidfirst and second frames rearwardly of the forward ends thereof.
 10. Awind turbine support sled for mounting a wind turbine on the upper endof a wind turbine tower, comprising: a frame means having upper andlower ends, forward and rearward ends, and opposite sides; a windturbine platform on said upper end of said frame means for removablysupporting a wind turbine thereon; each of said opposite sides havingtower clamping means at the forward end thereof; winch means associatedwith said frame means for raising and lowering said frame means withrespect to the tower; and a power means for operating said winch means.11. The support sled of claim 10 wherein said winch means and said powermeans are mounted on said frame means.